Sleep - Sandusky,OH

Just time. It will take awhile. You can't really force it. Each baby is different. If she/he is just 6 weeks old she/he is waking up because she/he is hungry and needs to eat. THey have very tiny tummys at that age. Just try to be patient....time will tell!

There are a lot of different viewpoints on this subject. We read Preparation for Parenting by Gary and Anne Marie Ezzo and followed their advice regarding a sleep schedule with our kids. The hospital had them on a 3-hour feeding schedule, which is exactly what the Ezzos recommend, so we just continued with that. The 3-hour routine started with feeding, then awake time(except for at night), then sleep time. We did have to let them learn to cry it out at first, but that didn't last long and they are both great sleepers. My daughter slept through the night at 6 weeks and my son at 4 months. You can find out more about this method at the Growing Families International website: www.gfi.org. We didn't necessarily agree with or do everything they teach, but some of the advice was very helpful. Good luck!

Hi, I have a 7 week old. She is formula fed. Two nights ago was a good night and she ate at 8pm, 2am, and 5am. Last night wasn't so good, she ate at 8pm, 12:30am, 4am, 6am. When she woke up at 6am, I let her cry because she had just eaten two hours earlier. She only cried for about 5 minutes then went back to sleep until 7:30. I think that sometimes I respond to early to feed her when she cries because she will go back to sleep. I was also getting frustrated during the day when she wanted to eat every two hours, but now I just kind of force her to sleep instead. If I have trouble getting her to sleep, then I put her in my front carrier(baby bjorn) and walk around and that usually does the trick. So now she eats every 3-4 hours during the day too. I think they need to get used to spreading out the feedings. I hope this helps!!

We used to co-sleep at that age. At least you don't have to get out of bed to feed. You get a little more sleep that way.

No it's totally normal. Or I should say if they are eating every two hours (and you are breastfeeding) it's normal. If it's formula and they are eating every two hours it might be that they are having a problem digesting the formula.

Don't try to sleep train till they are 2 months old. Then sleeping 5 or 6 hours is considered through the night.

Many of the moms out there will dissagree with me, but check with your pediatrician about adding small amounts of rice cereal to his bottle. Some old school pediatricians still recommend it. My little guy had cereal added to his bottle by the time he was 4 weeks old for acid reflux. He woke to eat every 4 hours and by 9 weeks he was sleeping through the night. He is now a happy and healthy 3-1/2 year old.

Build a time machine and jump forward a few months. :-) Sorry - not very helpful, I know.

It's pretty common for a 6 week old to eat every 2 hours. There are a few things you can try to do to stretch the feedings out but there's definately no guarantees. First, many babies go through a growth spurt around 6 weeks old - and therefore eat alot more than normal for a few days/week around this time.

Make a big difference between night and day. Daytime feedings are well-lit, noisy, you talk to her, the TV is on, etc. Nighttime feedings are very dark (maybe a small nightlight but limit that even), zero talking at all, definately no TV or music -- all business of feeding and then right back to bed. As for the feedings themselves, make sure she's eating alot just before bedtime and then during the nighttime feedings make sure she's eating until she's full. If she's falling asleep part-way through, wake her a little to get her to finish the bottle or nurse longer.

You didn't mention if you are breastfeeding or formula feeding. If breastfeeding, make sure you are staying on one side the entire time (don't worry about balancing sides...at this young age they feed so frequently it won't matter) so baby gets the fat-rich hindmilk -- that is what keeps 'em feeling fuller for longer. But also know that it's more common for breastfed babies to want to eat every 2-3 hours for the first few months since breastmilk digests much more easily than formula.

Good luck... before you know it this time will be a distant memory you'll barely remember. It will pass even though it doesn't seem possible now in the moment. :-)

Unfortunately, this is the normal routine for a 6 week old. Some babies get into a better/longer cycle faster than others, but this is totally normal...sorry! You'll get through it though, we all do. I think the saying is 12 pounds or 12 weeks before the average baby sleeps through (or sleeps longer). I would evaluate your daily routine and see if you can stretch his/her feedings out a little like every 2.5 hours and then work up to 3 hours, and so on. Try to distract them with activities, walks, bouncing, etc., to get a little more time to go by before offering the bottle/breast. If you're bottle feeding try to add a little extra formula to see if he/she will take more and that will sustain them longer. If breastfeeding, see if you can nurse longer so they get more at one feeding and then stretch it out. Also, if you're not breastfeeding, see if your partner can get up with him/her for at least one of the feedings so you can sleep a little longer. This also depends on whether or not you're bottle/breast feeding. I think it's easier to stretch the time out with bottle feedings because you know you can add more formula and can see what they are actually eating. Before you know it you'll be looking back thinking "wow, that wasn't so hard!" Oh and one other idea, if your child likes a pacifier, I found that when my daugther would fuss at first I would give her the pacifier and that would usually ease her back to sleep and eventually she dropped her first night feeding....just a thought that helped ups. She was in a bassinet next to my bed so I didn't actually have to get up and go to her room. Hang in there! :-)

My 11 week old just started sleeping 7 hours this week. Previous to that he was eating every 3 hours. It just takes time.

Yep, this is normal! Hang in there, eventually your baby is sleeping longer. Swaddeling seeemed to help my son sleep a little longer. We liked the Happiest baby on the block for techiques on sleeping and that is one of the things that books recommends.

There is a reason they say not to introduce solids this young in a baby. They can NOT digest the food properly and it can cause serious digestive problems and food allergies! Old school peds might suggest it because they are set in their way and refuse to accept the new guild lines set out by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization.

At 6 weeks old your little one needs to wake up that often to eat. It's perfectly normal and it well eventually pass as you baby get older and need to eat less. Hang in there mama these sleepless nights are hard but it really is all part of being a new mom with a little baby. We have all been there.

At this early age babies "know" what they need, they will sleep when they need to and scream when they are hungry or need a change. I survived by sleeping when my daughter did and only being awake when she wanted to feed, I let my husband deal with the house. As your little one grows your awake times and sleep times will slowly stretch out, but I wouldn't push it.

Good luck.

My son was a horrible sleeper for 8 weeks and then miraculously started sleeping 6+ hours at a time. Hang in there. If you are nursing and feel like the baby isn't getting enough (I felt empty in the evenings when he was looking for more after about 4 weeks), I would recommend supplementing with formula AFTER nursing before "bedtime". This worked for my son for our 10 1/2 months of nursing. No matter what I tried, I was depleted by the evening. If your baby is on formula, it might be time to increase the amount. I know how difficult it is and how much you need that sleep. It will happen with time. My friend's daughter was formula fed and her husband took 2 nights a week with the baby which really helped her.

Consider yourself lucky. When mine was 6 weeks old she ate every hour. Only time will make her sleep longer. At 6 weeks they are growing so much that if they want to eat, you really MUST feed them. 6 weeks is too young for cereal and way too young to just let her cry. This is just part of having a newborn.

This stage goes by so fast, just hang in there and be the best mother you can be. As mothers we need to reach deep down in ourselves and find the energy to get up with the baby even when we are exhausted. You have it in you. Good luck!

I wish I had a way. My son just turned twelve weeks and he still occasionally gets up every two hours to eat 6 ounces. usually he's more every three hours but sometimes not, then I get an occasional five hour time period. He will when he's ready.

Hi E., I just responded to another mother about a similar situation. Do you nurse? If so, do you own a breastpump? What worked for me was I pumped enough breastmilk so that I had a few bottles ready in the fridge for my little guy when he woke during the night. I started to give bottles for the night feedings because I felt that he wasn't getting enough milk from me in one sitting (he was getting up every hour). He would either fuss at the breast or fall asleep. This way, he got a full belly (he almost always finished the bottles)and it seemed to allow him some extra sleep. However, 6 weeks old is still so young and he needs to wake up several times during the night for milk. It WILL get better! Both my boys were sleeping about 8-9 hours around 10-12 weeks old. Good luck!

Nope! Babies that are are SUPPOSE to wake up and eat every two to three hours. It's VERY rare that a baby that young will sleep more than three hours. I know it's a pain, I remember those long nights only too well. Just try to remember that your baby is growing and every time you feed him/her you're helping them grow.